Goliath’s Challenge 2 UST Saul gathered the Israelite solders, and they set up their tents near the Valley of Elah. Then they formed battle lines in order to be ready to fight the Philistines. BSB BSB: Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
3 UST The Philistine and Israelite armies formed their battle lines on two hills on opposite sides of the valley. BSB BSB: The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.
5 UST He wore a helmet made of bronze to protect his head, and he wore body armor that had small overlapping metal plates to protect his body. The metal armor weighed over 50 kilograms. BSB BSB: and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels,
6 UST He wore bronze armor on his legs{ to protect them}. He had slung a small bronze spear across his back. BSB BSB: and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
7 UST He also had a spear that was so thick and long it was like the beam that weavers use. Its iron head weighed about seven kilograms. A soldier carrying Goliath’ s huge shield walked in front of him. BSB BSB: The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In addition, his shield bearer went before him.
8 UST Goliath stood there and shouted to the Israelite army,“There is no need for our entire armies to fight each other. You can see that I am a Philistine soldier who is ready to fight alone on behalf of my people group. Someone ought to be able to represent all of you servants of Saul. Choose one man who can fight on behalf of all of you and send him down into this valley where I am! BSB BSB: And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.
9 UST If he can fight with me and kill me, then my fellow Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I can fight with him and kill him, then all of you Israelites will become our slaves instead.” BSB BSB: If he is able to fight me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and work for us.”
10 UST Then Goliath mocked the Israelites. He said,“I now claim publicly, to your shame, that none of you Israelite soldiers is brave enough to fight me!{ If that is not true,} send a man down here who will fight with me!” BSB BSB: Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
11 UST When Saul and all the Israelite soldiers heard Goliath say this, they lost their courage and became terrified. BSB BSB: On hearing the words of the Philistine, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid.
David Accepts the Challenge 12 UST Now there was a young man whose name was David. His father was a man whose name was Jesse who belonged to the clan of Ephrath. He lived in the town of Bethlehem within the territory of the tribe of Judah. Jesse had eight sons. When Saul was king, Jesse had already lived for many years, so he was older than most other men. BSB BSB: Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons. And in the days of Saul, Jesse was old and well along in years.
13 UST Jesse’ s three oldest sons had gone to fight the Philistines with Saul as their commander. The name of Jesse’ s oldest son was Eliab. His two younger brothers were Abinadab and Shammah. BSB BSB: The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
14 UST David was Jesse’ s youngest son. While his three oldest brothers remained in Saul’ s camp, BSB BSB: And David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,
15 UST David went back and forth from the camp to his home in Bethlehem so that he could take care of his father’ s sheep. BSB BSB: but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
16 UST Twice each day, in the morning and in the evening, Goliath came out from the Philistine camp and stood in the valley between the two armies. He challenged the Israelites to choose one man to fight with him. He did that for 40 days. BSB BSB: For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.
17 UST One day, Jesse said to his son David,“Here is a large sack of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread. Take them quickly to your older brothers at the army camp. BSB BSB: One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.
18 UST Also, take these ten large chunks of cheese as a gift to the commander of their group of one thousand soldiers. And see if your older brothers are doing well. If they are safe, bring back something to show they are all right. BSB BSB: Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them.
19 UST You will be able to find your brothers near the Valley of Elah. They are camping there with Saul and the other Israelite soldiers, ready to fight the Philistines.” BSB BSB: They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
20 UST So David arranged for another shepherd to take care of the sheep. Early the next morning he took the food that Jesse had told him to bring and went to the Israelite camp. He arrived at the edge of the camp just as the Israelite soldiers were going out into their battle lines. As they went, they were shouting a war cry. BSB BSB: So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry.
21 UST The Philistine army and the Israelite army stood in their battle lines{ on the hillsides above the valley}, facing each other, ready for battle. BSB BSB: And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other.
22 UST David gave the containers of food he had brought to the man who was in charge of the supplies for the army. Then he ran to the battle lines and greeted his older brothers. He asked them if they were doing well. BSB BSB: Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
23 UST While David was speaking with them, something happened that immediately got his attention. Someone came into the valley between the battle lines. This was the man whom people called Goliath the Philistine Champion. He was from the city of Gath. He came forward from the Philistine battle lines and once again challenged any Israelite soldier to fight him in single combat. David heard what Goliath said. BSB BSB: And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the ranks of the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.
24 UST When all the Israelite soldiers saw Goliath, they were terrified and backed away from him. BSB BSB: When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him in great fear.
25 UST The soldiers were saying to each other,“See how this man defiantly approaches us! And hear how he mocks us Israelite soldiers! The king has said that he will give a huge reward to whoever kills this man. He also says that he will allow that man to marry his daughter, and that he will no longer require that man’ s family to pay taxes or do unpaid work for the Israelite kingdom.” BSB BSB: Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”
26 UST David talked with some of the men who were standing near him. He said,“This Philistine is a mere pagan. He should not be mocking soldiers who worship the only true God. Please confirm for me what the king will give to the soldier who kills this Philistine and stops him from shaming us Israelites.” BSB BSB: David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 UST Those men told him the same thing that the other men had said about what the king would do for anyone who killed Goliath. BSB BSB: The people told him about the offer, saying, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 UST But when David’ s oldest brother Eliab heard David talking to the men, he became very angry with him. He said to David,“You should not have come here! You are supposed to be watching our father’ s small flock of sheep, but I imagine you left them alone in a desolate pastureland. I know you think you have a right to be here, but you do not. You do not have good motives. You came because you want to watch the battle!” BSB BSB: Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”
29 UST David replied,“I have done nothing wrong! I was merely asking a question!” BSB BSB: “What have I done now?” said David. “Was it not just a question?”
30 UST Then David walked over to another man and asked him the same question, and the man gave him the same answer. Each time he asked different soldiers, they all gave him the same answer. BSB BSB: Then he turned from him toward another and asked about the offer, and those people answered him just as the first ones had answered.
31 UST Eventually some of King Saul’ s officers heard about what David was asking, and they told Saul. Then Saul sent someone to bring David to him. BSB BSB: Now David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, who sent for him.
32 UST David told King Saul,“No one should despair because of him. I will go and fight with that Philistine man!” BSB BSB: And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!”
33 UST Saul said to David,“You are only a young man, while he has been a very powerful soldier ever since he was a young man. He is the Philistine champion. So you are not able to go and fight with him!” BSB BSB: But Saul replied, “You cannot go out against this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 UST David replied,“I have been taking care of my father’ s sheep for many years. During that time, whenever a lion or a bear came and carried a lamb away from the others, BSB BSB: David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
35 UST I went after it and hit it and rescued the lamb from the animal’ s mouth. If it turned to attack me, I grabbed the animal by its jaw and hit it and killed it. BSB BSB: I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.
36 UST So I have killed both lions and bears. And since he has mocked soldiers who worship the only true God, I will kill this pagan Philistine too!” BSB BSB: Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
37 UST David continued,“Yahweh has enabled me to kill both lions and bears, and he will also enable me to kill this Philistine!” Then Saul said to David,“All right, go and fight him, and I hope that Yahweh will help you!” BSB BSB: David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”
David Slays Goliath 38 UST Then Saul let David wear the special clothes that he wore under his armor in battles, and he also gave him a bronze helmet to wear and some body armor that had small overlapping metal plates. BSB BSB: Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in armor.
39 UST David put these things on. Saul also gave David his sword, and David strapped that on over them. Since David had not worn armor before, he walked around to find out what it was like to walk wearing armor. Then David told Saul,“I am not used to wearing these things, so I cannot fight while wearing them!” So he took them off. BSB BSB: David strapped his sword over the tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them. “I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” So David took them off.
40 UST Then he picked up his shepherd’ s staff, and he went to a stream bed and chose five smooth stones. He put those stones in the leather bag he always wore around his shoulder as a shepherd. Then he took his sling in his hand, and he started walking toward Goliath. BSB BSB: And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.
41 UST Goliath walked steadily toward David, with the soldier who was carrying his shield walking in front of him. BSB BSB: Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him.
42 UST { When he got near David,} Goliath looked at David closely. He believed he could easily defeat David because he was only a young man. David still had a handsome, boyish appearance. BSB BSB: When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.
44 UST He said to David,“Come here, and I will kill you and give your dead body to the birds and wild animals to eat!” BSB BSB: “Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
45 UST David replied,“You are coming to attack me with a sword and a spear and a curved sword. But I am coming to you with the authority of Yahweh, commander of the angel armies. You have mocked the Israelite soldiers who worship him, and that is like mocking Yahweh himself. BSB BSB: But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46 UST Today Yahweh will enable me to defeat you. I will kill you and cut off your head. And today we Israelites will kill many Philistine soldiers and give their bodies to the birds and wild animals to eat. People throughout the world will hear about it, and they will know that we Israelite people worship an all- powerful God. BSB BSB: This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
47 UST And all of the soldiers who have gathered here will recognize that Yahweh does not need to use weapons such as swords or spears in order to rescue people. It is actually Yahweh who will be fighting this battle against you, and he will enable us to defeat all of you Philistines.” BSB BSB: And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
48 UST Then Goliath started to come closer in order to attack David. David ran quickly toward him, in the direction of the Philistine battle line. BSB BSB: As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
49 UST David reached into his shoulder bag and took out a stone. He put in his sling and hurled it at Goliath. The stone hit Goliath in the forehead and broke into the bone at the front his skull. Goliath collapsed facedown onto the ground. BSB BSB: Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 UST Then David ran and stood over Goliath. He pulled Goliath’ s sword from its sheath and killed him with it, and then he cut off his head. In that way David defeated that great Philistine soldier. He was able to attack him and kill him even though he did not have a sword. He used only a sling and a stone! When the other Philistines saw that their great soldier was dead, they ran away. BSB BSB: Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
53 UST When the Israelites came back after chasing the Philistines, they took everything valuable from the Philistine camp. BSB BSB: When the Israelites returned from their pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.
54 UST David later took Goliath’ s head to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath’ s weapons and armor at home in his own tent. BSB BSB: David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
55 UST As Saul watched David going toward Goliath, he said to Abner, the commander of his army,“Abner, who is the father of that young man?” Abner replied,“I swear by your life, O king, that I do not know.” BSB BSB: As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”
56 UST Then Saul told him,“I want you personally to find out who his father is.” BSB BSB: “Find out whose son this young man is!” said the king.
57 UST So later, when David returned from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul. David was carrying Goliath’ s head. BSB BSB: So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.
58 UST Saul asked him,“Young man, who is your father?” David replied,“Sir, my father is the man whose name is Jesse who lives in the town of Bethlehem. He is your loyal subject.” BSB BSB: “Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
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